We’re a Russian e-commerce company that’s been successful domestically, and now we’re trying to actually move into the US market seriously. But we’re stuck at the first gate: where do you even find reliable influencers and agencies in a market you don’t know?
In Russia, I can call three people and get introductions to whoever I need. I know which agencies are solid, which influencers are trustworthy, where the scams are. In the US, I’m basically starting from zero.
I’ve tried a few things:
- Googling “influencer agencies in New York”—ended up with 47 results, no clear way to vet them
- Reaching out cold to creators on Instagram—got ghosted by most, got scammed by one
- Hired a US consultant for two weeks to vet partners—cost a fortune, results were mediocre
The real problem is that I don’t have a network, and I don’t have the cultural context to know who’s actually legitimate. A company that looks professional and gets good case study results might be total fluff in US market logic.
I’m looking for a better system. How do you actually source and validate cross-border partners without wasting three months and thousands of dollars?
Is there a community, database, or approach that actually works for this?
This is what I live for—connecting people across markets. Here’s my actual system, and it’s boring but it works:
Step 1: Find three reference points. These are brands like you—Russian or Eastern European heritage, already operating in the US, similar product category. Then (and this is key) reach out to their marketing lead and ask them directly: “Who did you use for influencer partnerships when you entered the US market? Who would you use again? Who would you avoid?” Most people will answer this if you’re honest about why you’re asking.
Step 2: Follow your references. Each person will have 2-3 agencies they actually work with. Now you have a shortlist that’s been pre-validated by someone in your position. That’s worth 10x more than an agency website.
Step 3: Interview with intention. When you talk to an agency, ask them this: “Show me three campaigns you ran for brands that weren’t in the top 100 DTC companies—brands that had to prove ROI to skeptical investors.” The answer tells you everything. Big agencies often haven’t solved hard problems for small or international brands.
Step 4: Start small, measure everything. Give the agency a tiny pilot—$10-15K, real product, real metrics. See how they actually work, not just what their track record says.
Do this and you’ll have a vetted partner in 4-6 weeks instead of 3 months. And honestly, half the value is the relationships you build in step 1—those references often become your partners themselves.
Real talk: most US influencer agencies are either volume plays (they run a lot of mediocre campaigns) or they’re deep in the tech/beauty/fitness space. If you’re in e-commerce but not those categories, you’re going to struggle with generic agencies.
Here’s what I’d do instead: find one creator or micro-influencer in your category who actually gets your product and has proven conversion. Then ask them who else they work with, who they respect, which other creators they’d collaborate with. That person becomes your first partner and your guide to the ecosystem.
Creators and micro-influencers have networks that agencies don’t have. They know who’s real and who’s faking it. An agency will sell you a list of 50 influencers. A smart creator will say, “These 5 actually convert for products like yours.”
Second: forget about “finding” agencies through directories. Instead, go to Reddit, go to Twitter, scroll through case studies, and find one piece of content that actually resonates. Then trace it back—who ran it? Who was the creator? Who managed the relationship? That’s your market research.
Third: when you vet, ask for their failures, not just their wins. “Tell me about a campaign that didn’t hit ROI targets. What happened? What would you do differently?” You learn more from that than from ten success stories.
You’re asking the right question, but I’d reframe it: instead of “find agencies,” start with “find partners who understand my customer.” Those are not the same thing.
Here’s a more structured approach:
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Define your ICP (ideal creator profile) locally. Not just demographic, but behavioral. Who in the US actually buys products like yours? What communities are they in? Where do they follow advice?
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Map the creator ecosystem to those communities. Use tools like HypeAuditor or CreatorIQ if you have budget, or just manually research communities (subreddits, Facebook groups, Discord servers) where your customers hang out. Find the 20-30 creators who actually have influence there.
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Vet via audience overlap, not follower count. A creator with 50K followers in your exact target segment is worth more than one with 500K followers in a tangential space.
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Agency strategy comes second. Once you’ve identified 10-15 creators you want to work with, THEN you ask them or a manager: “Who should we work with to coordinate this?” The agency’s value is in logistics and relationship management, not discovery.
The US influencer space is fragmented enough that trying to find a “master partner” who knows everything is a waste. Instead, build a small roster of direct creator relationships, and use an agency to manage operations.
One practical note: what’s your category and budget range? That changes the strategy significantly.
I was in your exact position 18 months ago. We’re a SaaS company, Russian-founded, trying to go after US teams.
Here’s what saved me: I found ONE person who had done what I was trying to do. Actually, I found three people, each in different industries, and I took them to coffee (or Zoom, in that case) and asked them to be informal advisors. They didn’t know each other, but they each gave me 30 minutes of their time because I was honest about the situation.
From those three conversations, I got real names of agencies they’d vetted, specific creators in my space, and more importantly—a checklist of red flags to watch for (like agencies that only show you big-name creators, or who ask for upfront fees before delivering anything).
Then I did a pilot with one of their recommendations. Spent $8K, tracked everything obsessively, and used the results to approach the next tier of partners with real data.
The key: you don’t need to find them all at once. Find one good partner, do good work together, then expand through their network. It’s slower but way more efficient than trying to vet 20 agencies in parallel.
Would it help if people in this community shared the names of agencies or creators they’ve actually worked with across borders? I’d pay for that kind of vetted list.
Okay, from the creator side: if you want to actually find good creators, stop looking for agency lists. Come find us where we actually are—TikTok, YouTube, the communities where we hang out and talk about brand deals.
Better yet: look for creators who are already talking about your competitor’s products. Not in a bad way, just—find creators who are engaged with your category by choice. They’re the ones who care enough to actually make good content, not just take a check.
When you reach out, be specific. Don’t send a template, generic pitch about your brand. Say: “I saw your last three posts, and here’s why I think our product would actually be useful for your audience.” That tells me you actually care.
Also, red flag for creators: agencies that take 40%+ commission and don’t add value beyond payment processing. We know the difference between an agency that actually helps us look good and one that’s just taking a cut.
And honestly? The best partnerships I’ve had weren’t through agencies at all. They were direct relationships with founders or marketing directors who took time to explain what they actually needed. Those are the conversations that lead to creative work, not just advertising content.
From a data perspective, here’s how I’d approach vetting:
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Pull performance data from publicly available sources. HypeAuditor, CreatorIQ, and similar tools let you see estimated metrics for creators. If an agency claims their “star creator” gets 8% engagement, you can verify that against public data. If it doesn’t match, they’re not being straight with you.
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Ask for anonymized case studies with specific numbers. “We ran a campaign with 5 creators for a DTC brand in your category. Average engagement was 3.2%, conversion rate per click was 1.8%.” If they can’t give you numbers, they’re hiding something.
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Run a small test and measure obsessively. Spend $5K, track UTM parameters, set up proper attribution, and see what actually happens. One small campaign teaches you more about an agency’s quality than 10 case studies.
What metrics matter most for your business? CAC, brand lift, repeat purchase? Once you know that, you can specifically ask agencies: “Show me proof that your creators actually move this metric for similar brands.” Most can’t. That’s how you filter.